"Because of my age, I never had any idea that this kind of thing could happen to me, " she said. "I don't smoke, I'm generally fit and well, but there I was, not able to speak and not able to move my right hand. It just came out of nowhere."

Brown is just one of an estimated 2,000 young and middle-aged Irish people annually who suffer a stroke. Stroke accounts for 10% of all A&E admissions and there are around 10,000 cases a year.

Some 2,000 people die, and another 5,000 are left with permanent disabilities.

Yet experts say the facilities are simply not there to deal with stroke patients and there are serious gaps in after-care.

Most critically, an estimated 1,400 lives could be saved if adequate measures were taken, while 3,000 strokes could be prevented from happening in the first place.

"If stroke was caused by an infectious disease, then the incidence of stroke in Ireland would be termed an epidemic and an intense effort would be made to deal with it, " said Dr Peter Kelly, consultant neurologist and director of the stroke service at the Mater Hospital, Dublin.

"There is an assumption out there that stroke is the preserve of the elderly and nothing can be done to prevent it. But approximately 20% of all strokes occur in young to middle-aged people between the ages of 18 and 64. Every week, I see an average of two to three young people coming in with stroke."

Stroke is caused as a result of bleeding into the brain or interruption of the blood supply by blocking the small arteries in the brain. People with high blood pressure, smokers, diabetics and those with a family history of heart disease are most at risk.

"We estimate that around 3,000 strokes could be prevented every year by a national plan where patients at risk are identified and treated, " Kelly told the Sunday Tribune.

"We have also estimated that dedicated stroke units in acute hospitals would prevent 1,400 deaths from occurring annually. We're talking about a lot of people here, but at the moment, only two out of the 37 acute hospitals in Ireland have dedicated stroke units."

A clot-busting emergency treatment was licensed in Ireland in 2003; if administered to a suitable patient within three hours of stroke, it can open up the blocked blood vessel and cure the stroke as if it never happened. But until Ireland has more dedicated stroke units, the drug cannot be administered to the vast majority of Irish patients.

According to Anne Copeland of the Volunteer Stroke Scheme, after-care facilities are also deficient.

"One-third of people who suffer from stroke are left with disabilities and these can include paralysis of a limb, loss of balance, or loss of cognitive skills, " she said.

"They need rehabilitation, but only a fraction of patients are getting into rehab centres. Many are waiting up to two years to be assessed by a speech or occupational therapist while some are simply sent home without any support. It puts a terrible amount of pressure on the families, but until the services are put in place, nothing can be done."

Caroline Brown, from Swords, Co Dublin, was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Her ambulance took her to the Mater hospital, where within an hour she was diagnosed by Dr Kelly and placed in the stroke unit.

She was put on medication straight away and within a week was able to leave the high dependency unit.

Her stroke, which was caused by a blood clot passing through a hole in her heart, left her weak and tired for many months, but she has made a full recovery.

"It was only later that I realised how lucky I was and how serious my situation had been, " she said. "I know now that because I was near a stroke unit and I was diagnosed quickly, my life was probably saved. I could have been left with serious disabilities, but I'm fine. It is really important that there are more of these units around the country."

For more information phone Anne Copeland at 0872223724 or visit www. strokescheme. ie